It was always there
by Oracle2Phoenix
Summary: The Vangaurd Rebellion has been defeated, the Ginnungagap has been sealed and now Genis, after catching up with an old friend want to tell Presea how he really feels. Meanwhile the 765 days since Presea closed the Iron maiden are nearly up. Can be considered as a prequel to my Third World Series or as a standalone set after the games.


This story can be considered a prequel to my crossover story Harry Potter and the Third World but can also be considered as what I think/hope happened after the events in Knight of Ratatosk. The character Melody Reid is based off Genis's classmate that he snuck food to and who Lloyd though was a dog he was keeping secret from the Professor.**  
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**It was always there**

Chapter 1

Genis Sage arrived in Iselia: Village of Oracles. Since the Ginnugagap had been sealed and Emil and Marta reunited, the Symphonia group were determined not to repeat the mistake they made after the World Regeneration. They would monitor to the world and make sure there wasn't a second Vanguard or another form of instability that could threaten the peace that had been established after the Journey to gather the Centurions Cores and seal the Ginnungagap. Part of their efforts involved all the members of the Symphonia group, including the two newest members: Emil and Marta, keeping in contact with each other. After the Blood Purge it had taken over six months and the apparent instability of the Centurions Cores to finally get all eight members back together. Had it not been for the efforts of Emil, Marta and Tenebrae then Genis was not sure he and his friends could have resolved the world crises so easily. Now the Symphonia group monitored the progress of the world and met up with each other regularly as well as met with various leaders in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

That was why Genis had returned to Iselia. He and Raine had recently been approached by the Elder of Exire, City in the Sky, to discuss opening diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world. The Half-Elvin City that floats above the sky has lived in self-imposed isolation ever since the Ancient War, providing the only form of refuge for Half-Elves other than that of the Desians or the Imperial Research Academy. Now with a new global outlook in the United Worlds, the Elder sought to try and reach out to the rest of Aselia in the hopes that together they could make a better world.

As the two half-elves in the Symphonia group Genis and Raine were tasked with deliver the messages to all the different towns and cities in Sylvarant as well as the jurisdictions in Tethe'alla outside Imperial rule: Heimdall and Mizuho. Because the Tethe'allan Royal Family represented about half the population of Aselia, the Sages opted to visit Meltokio together but to split up and do the Sylvaranti locations themselves. Unfortunately when they divided up the geography, Genis was left with the Village of Iselia.

Genis liked Iselia; it was after all the place he'd grown up in. While his sister was the local school teacher, he had lived here for five years and had a great time growing up. But he wasn't here with Colette or Lloyd or even Raine. He was alone and he was not here to catch up with old school friends. He was here to meet the mayor and talk about Half-Elves. Not a particular conversation he was looking forward to.

**ORACLE2PHOENIX**

Genis came out of the Mayors house reflecting on how a conversation could be so polite, yet so tense and contentious at the same time. The mayor had politely hinted that he thought Genis was an abomination and Genis had politely hinted that he thought… well Genis had politely hinted that the Mayor was an arse. But he nonetheless agreed to meet with representatives from Exire and not try to string them up by their throats the second they arrived.

Just as Genis was contemplating what Presea had said to the Mayor the only time she had met him, a young girl's voice brought him out of his musings.

"Genis, Hey Genis?"

The half-elf turned to look at the source of the voice and was pleasantly surprised to find that it belonged to Melody Reid, a girl two years younger than him who had been taught be his sister Raine and went to school with him and the other Iselia children.

"Hey Melody." He said as the girl approached him. He quickly took her in a brief hug. "How're things going?"

"Well I've still never left the village so pretty boring. But you've supposedly been travelling round and round the world for years. Come, tell me all about it. You can give me company for dinner, Daddy is taking a delivery to Triet so I'm having to eat a on my own."

"I… can't do that…" said Genis "I can't impose on you."

"Sure you can." Said Melody "You've been back less than five times since you were 'exiled' and before you say anything, trips to the temple, the Ranch and Lloyd's House don't count. I haven't been able to talk to you since the Tower of Salvation appeared and that was over 2 years ago." Melody refused to take no for an answer and dragged Genis by the arm to her house.

"But Melody do you have enough food, I mean I can go…"

But Melody cut across him. "Genis see this here." She said pointing at the two hen boxes outside her house. "And this…" she dragged Genis inside and showed him an empty cauldron. But the cauldron smelt distinctly of… "I make enough cheese here to feed the entire village and can still make enough extra to export to Triet. The hens are owned entirely by me and my Dad. The hens can lay enough eggs for myself and my father and still leave plenty that can also be sold throughout both the village and Triet. I can afford to spontaneously invite round an old School friend if I so choose."

"Well if you're sure?" said Genis

"I am." Said the thirteen-year-old girl who was irritatingly taller than Genis "Now. Be a good boy and set the table, plates are in the second cupboard from the left, the cutlery is in the drawer above and the salt and pepper are in the far right hand cupboard."

Genis giggled and complied while Melody tended to an already steaming pot.

"Are you sure you made enough for both of us?" asked Genis, recognising the contents as ravioli.

"Oh yeah, I noticed you enter the Mayors House over an Hour ago and decided that it had been too long since I last saw you and decided to invite you round."

"I didn't know you were so eager to have my company." Said Genis

Melody looked at the Half-Elf seriously "Genis, I have missed you while you were gone, we all have. The decision to exile you was made irrationally and most of the village regretted it within two weeks of you leaving. Also. I owe you… I would have starved had you not been so kind."

"Yeah but… the Desians and the Giant Tree."

"Genis, you and the others never gave up on the World Regeneration, even if everybody thought you did. As for the Desians, despite what the Mayor thinks, you did the right thing."

"But we broke the treaty."

"That treaty made us a village of collaborators. Even protecting the Chosen and the Church, we were collaborating with the Desians. We punished you for trying to end an old woman's suffering. You may not have saved her, but my mother's death was not yours or Lloyd's fault. It was that of the Desians. Alright?"

Genis nodded, but looked down.

Melody put her arms around the Half-elf and pulled tightly "They Mayor was an idiot… even he has admitted on some level that he was wrong. You know when everyone was thinking that Lloyd might have been responsible for the Blood Purge, the Mayor told those coming to the village that he wouldn't commit such an atrocity, let alone in the service of the church."

Genis nodded "When Marta asked him whether he believed in Lloyd he apparently said: 'Well I don't like him much, but yes.' But he still thinks that we're fools or that we're deluding ourselves."

"He's arrogant. But most people are. People can't accept that not everyone is perfect or that they would make the same decision in a difficult situation."

Genis smiled "I think the food will burn if we don't take it off the stove."

They continued their talks over the pasta.

"We were lucky. Emil, Marta and Regal came to the Temple of Ice only a couple of Hours after we left Flanoir. A few hours either way and we could have been caught in the massacre there."

"I know, what happened at the Temple of Ice?"

"I'm not entirely sure. When Tenebrae mentioned the adverse effects of the cores we thought Lloyd might have become infected by one of the ones we hadn't found yet. So Raine and I headed south while Emil, Marta and Regal tried to track down the Glacies Core. We arrived in Meltokio but failed to find any evidence of Lloyd. We wanted to check the temples of Earth and Lightening but they were closed off. Later we met up with Zelos and Colette who told us about Decus. They also told us that Sheena and Regal were helping Emil and Marta with the cores while they were searching for Lloyd, like us. We parted ways with them and decided to go and ask the people of Mizuho, while they followed a lead. But whilst we were in Mizuho the Vanguard Rebellion started."

"It happened here as well." Said Melody. "I remember, it was like the Desian attack all over again."

"What actually happened here?" asked Genis "I heard there was a mass rising in Palmacosta but apparently the Governors Army there drove them out of their headquarters, but what happened here?"

"The Vanguard surrounded the village and wouldn't let anyone in or out. There were a number of skirmishes. Three of the village watch got seriously injured and another died. But Lloyd's dad Dirk came down from the forest and scared them off. The call to disband came before they could regroup. I was quite scared during that, mainly because my father volunteered to help the watch. But he was ok."

"That's good. I wouldn't want you to be left all alone." Genis found himself saddened by his last sentiment. But not because of Melody. But because of another girl who had her own issues with loneliness.

"So what happened when you found out?" asked Melody "Because I know you somehow ended up in Altamira alongside all your friends kicking Vanguard butt.

"Well the chief of the village called an emergency meeting. Just as he was doing so, Presea brought Emil and Marta from the city."

"Presea? Was she here after you liberated the Ranch in the forest?"

"Yeah she was the one person smaller than me." Genis chuckled "She had a mass of pink hair and very rarely smiled. Though she's much better in that regard." Genis said with a smile on his face.

Melody recognised that look, "Are you and Presea…" she asked

Genis blushed "I… No… we… We're not… together."

"But you wish you were with her right?" said Melody

"It's a lot more complicated than that. She is still trying to find her feelings."

"What?" said Melody

"Well… what do you know about Presea?"

"Not a lot… Just that she is really strong and is the youngest of you and the other travellers."

"Well you're half right." Said Genis

"Half? She's not very strong?"

"No she is far stronger than any of us. But despite how she looks, she is chronologically speaking older than all of us except Regal. She's thirty in terms of years lived."

"Thirty but she… wait what do you mean by years lived?"

"When Presea was twelve her father got sick and she sought to grow stronger so she could wield an axe in his stead. She was introduced to a man who introduced her to the Desian Grand Cardinal Rodyle."

Melody gasped "The one that went rogue?"

Genis nodded "Rodyle was trying to obtain a Cruxis Crystal. His colleague and fellow Cardinal: Kvar was conducting experiments on a turning Exspheres into Crystals."

"That I heard about… Poor Lloyd, it was his Mum that was being experimented on wasn't it?"

"That's right, the Exsphere he wields is that same one. Rodyle spied on and stole data from Kvar regarding the project. From the timings we're able to tell that Presea got her exsphere attached at about the same time as Lloyds mum Anna. From what I understand about everything, the parasitic process of the Exsphere was delayed by using an artificial Key Crest. Lloyd couldn't tell the difference between the substitute crest and the conventional one made out of Inhibitor ore."

"Presea had the Exsphere on from the time Lloyd was a baby?"

"Yes. Sixteen Years in total. Over time her mind and her soul began to enclose in on her and she effectively became heavily unresponsive. Her father died months after the Exsphere was attached but because of the parasitism Presea didn't even know he was dead. Her mind did not drift towards her family or those who cared about her at all. When we met her three years ago she was essentially a body operating on its basic functions. Presea had Jobs to do, both for Ozette and for those who were researching her exsphere, she would perform lumberjack tasks and would undergo experiments at the academy in Sybak. When Lloyd, Raine, Colette and I met her she was delivering sacred wood to the Church of Martel in Meltokio. At the time Colette was also in a withdrawn state and the similarities between the two girls was… well more than startling. When asked what she wanted to do, Presea always just said that she wanted to go home… to Ozette. I think on some level she recognised it as part of herself and wanted to hold onto that before the exsphere took her life. We really wanted to help… so badly… especially when we got to the village. The prejudice against Half-Elves in the village was far more intense than in the rest of Tethe'alla. But that was nothing. The people of the village had contempt for anything that was out of the ordinary. An emotionally and mentally withdrawn girl who didn't age was shunned by the village. No one would help us heal her, the people of Ozette were only interested in seeing the back of her. We tried to get the Dwarf Altessa to fix her Key Crest, the second we mentioned Presea's name he told us to leave. We later learnt that the work he conducted on Presea had haunted him and he was trying to forget, despite the fact he could have easily helped her. Altessa gave us no joy, but his assistant: Tabatha, explained more about Altessa. She also hinted that it might have been kinder to let Presea die."

Melody gasped.

"I know, but it only took us telling her that we wanted to help her… to save her and I'm not just talking about ending the Angelus Project, what the Desians called the Exsphere-to-Cruxis Crystal research project, Presea really had no one in the world waiting for her to come back. When we convinced Tabatha that we were going to help Presea she told us that her Key Crest was not made out of inhibitor ore. That would not have made sense to us but Lloyd having grown up with a dwarf knew that only inhibitor ore with charm carved into it could negate the negative effects of an exsphere. With that in mind he told us all he needed was inhibitor ore and he could save Presea. Regal directed us to a mine in Tethe'alla owned by his company where both exspheres and inhibitor ore could be mined."

"So Presea would be alright?" said Melody

"Well it was a start. When we passed through the village to get to the coast, we had to stop at an item shop to stock up on food and gels. We met some guy who was a little younger than Presea should have been. He asked us to get her out of the village and out of his sight. He then went on mouthing about everyone who wasn't a 'normal' human. Lloyd scared him off. Well we got the ore and Lloyd made a makeshift Key Crest. Presea came back and… well that is when everything she had suffered caught up with her. She asked where her father was. She didn't know that he had died or that his body had been lying in his bed for over fifteen years."

"Oh my… that's… awful…"

"Ozette always was Presea's home, even as the people there rejected her she considered it home. But she had nothing else going for her so she came with us on our journey. At the very least we could keep an eye on her. So we spent a lot of time traveling but whilst we were in Flanoir, Ozette was attacked by Cruxis. Since we finished our first journey she's been trying to rebuild it."

"So where does that leave you Genis?"

"What do you mean?"

"You like Presea, I can see it written across your face."

"I guess I don't really know. In some ways Presea is 30 years old but in some she is still 14. During our first journey she would often make comments about how I am still a child or that I had a lot of growing to do still. At one point she said I was small but wise. Essentially…"

"In some regards Presea has grown up but in others she is still your age." Said Melody in understanding.

"…and in some regards she is somewhere between 14 and 30 years old." Said Genis

"So like I said, where does that leave you Genis. Do you want to ask her out?"

"I… Guess I do." He admitted.

"Then why haven't you asked her already."

"I'm… nervous… also at times I'm not sure she likes me. The other thing is, after she got her soul back… it wasn't all there. She didn't overnight become a happy young girl. She is still dealing with her demons now but 2 years ago… I felt it was only right for me to give her at least some time, that's not exactly what went through my head but on the whole I think that's how you could describe my thoughts on the matter two years ago. During our time together before the World Regeneration I dropped a number of hints but… She didn't seem to get them. Even Zelos, who flirt a number of times, didn't get any kind of typical response."

"So you've mainly not pursued a relationship because you think she's needed her space. What about now?"

Genis took a deep breath "I think I've waited long enough. I shall ask Presea out… tomorrow when I see her."

"Good for you Genis… I think I am also ready to get the attention of my man."

"Oh and who are you interested in Melody?"

**ORACLE2PHOENIX**

While Genis and an old friend caught up over pasta, a pink-haired Girl in Ozette regarded a huge casket that she had. Today was the 764th day since she had placed a hair in the casket. Tomorrow therefore would make day 765. Tomorrow Presea would discover whether or not the charm of the Iron Maiden was true.

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